This is part 3 of my foodie tour of the market with a friend who just moved here. Click here for
Part 1 and Part 2.

After the Spanish Table, I took my friend to Beecher's. This is where you can peak in the window and watch them make cheese or just hop in to the store and have a cheesy meal. Frantic Foodie Gift Tip: How about a Cheese basket? Choose your favorite cheeses and the Pure Flavor cookbook with the recipe for the "World's Best Macaroni and Cheese".

The next stop was at The Souk(1916 Pike Place). I love the Middle Eastern spices and all the fascinating exotic food products. Frantic Foodie Food Tip: Get the labaneh and the zaatar spice. Labaneh is a Middle Eastern cheese that tastes like a mix between yogurt, sour cream and cheese. In a post a while back I wrote about how to serve it.

The next stop was La Mexicana(1914 Pike Place). This is a little Mexican store where I like to warm up with a tamale before I continue my walk.

Then I took her around the corner to my favorite secret in the market, Cafe Yarmurka(1530 Post Alley 3A). I eat there all the time! I order stuffed cabbage rolls with a dollop of sour cream. I introduced this place to a Russian friend from New York and she refused to eat anywhere else for the two weeks she was here.

We then continued to Cinnamon Works(1530 Pike Place) to drool as we looked at the pastries. Huge cinnamon rolls, enormous muffins and all the ingredients are listed. Great for people with allergies.

Next stop was Sotto Voce (1532 Pike Place) for an olive oil tasting experience. Frantic Foodie Tip: A high quality olive oil is a great gift.
The next stop was The Confectional. Luckily it was their anniversary that day and they were giving out Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles. Give the gift of chocolate!
The last stop for the day was at La Bueno Tavola(1524 Pike Place). I like to taste the interesting dips and truffle oils. Frantic Foodie Gift Find: Beautiful kitchen towels(see picture). They have wine tasting everyday between 1-5. 5 dollars for 3 wine samples. Read my post for more.
We called it a day. We were stuffed and really tired. We sat near the water to relax.......
I love Seattle.

Any suggestions? Other Foodie Finds?

Frantic Foodie's Frantic Finds ,Part two

A few days ago I told you about some of the places I like to go shopping for foodie finds.
Here is part two.

After our stop at Market Spice we walked to the street behind the market. I like Market Spice when I need a few last minute spices or want to find interesting teas. When I have time to kill and the patience to look around, I wander to another spice stop. This one is bigger and less touristy. I stop at World Spice Merchants (1509 Western Ave). Here, I can open the jars and actually smell the spices. The staff is knowledgeable and very helpful. This is when I start asking all the questions about my recipes. Frantic Foodie Gift Tip: Buy a friend a spicy gift. Buy little spice bottles and fill them with some exotic rare spices. Attach a recipe for each spice.

The next stop is the Spanish Table (1426 Western Ave). This store is one of my favorite stores for
foodie inspiration. I eye the chorizo sausages, the interesting Spanish cookies and stunning Spanish dishes. I like to buy a whole bunch of the individually wrapped cookies and try a different one each time. Frantic Foodie Gift Tip: Cookbooks!They have a huge selection of cookbooks on sale. They even have some cookbooks for 10-15 dollars. They also carry Mediterranean cookbooks that are hard to find at other places.
Look out for part 3 of Frantic Foodie's Frantic Finds, In and Around the Market.

My Trip to the Market and Sorroundings

I copied this post from my other blog.... This is what I love to do in Seattle

A friend of mine just moved here from out of town and this was a great opportunity to take her on my personal food tour. These are the places that I like to go when I need some inspiration of any kind and of course when I need to get food gifts for other food obsessed friends.
I started my food tour at the Westlake Center. Just a short walk from the Pike Place Market.
Daiso(Westlake Center, 400 Pine St) is my first stop whenever I am planning a dinner party or need some new teapots. It is a kind of Japanese dollar store with most items priced at a dollar fifty or three dollars. I get kitchen stuff, mini baking pans, special cake pans, decorations for homemade food gifts and everything else for the house.

Our next stop was the Chocolate box(108 Pine Street). They have just about anything chocolate in Seattle. There are also lots of samples and marvelous chocolate gifts to get for your friends.

The next stop is at Delaurenti(1435 First Ave)in Pike Place Market. They have a huge selection of everything; all the cheese that you can dream of, wine and so many specialty products that you can't find anywhere else. They also have truffles! Shopping tip: Get the red roasted peppers in a jar to add flavor to sauces or pasta.
Next we get a knish at the I love New York Deli (right across Delaurenti) and then we continue to Market Spice(1501 Pike Place)for a tasting of their Signature Market Spice Tea. We also got some of the spices that we need for our holiday recipes.
So many places, so little room in this post. I will continue this post some other time.
Look out for part two, coming to my blog soon.

Peet's Coffee

Last week I went to a coffee cupping at the new Peet's Coffee and Tea on Queen Anne. It was my first cupping experience.
First I learned how to taste the coffee.

Coffee Tasting
1)You swirl the coffee which cools it down.
2)Shove your nose in it. Smell the aroma!
3)SLURP! You actually make a huge slurping sound. This allows you to spray your palate.

What to look for?
1) Body, thickness, viscosity of the coffee.
2) Acidity. How acidic is it?
Do you taste a ripeness or a liveliness?
Do you taste an aftertaste? Does it linger on your tongue?
3)Aroma. What do you smell?

Now try to sense the different flavor touches. Is it fruity or floral? Can you taste cocoa? Does it have a woody taste?

After we tried a few different coffees, we discussed food pairing.
Some combos that go together.
Coffee from Kenya with chocolate.
Indonesian coffee goes with cinnamon or really creamy textured desserts or foods.
Ethiopian coffee with a fruit dessert, a berry or lemon tart.

Call Peet's to find out when the next free cupping will take place.

* There will be a fundraising event for the Sacred Heart Shelter on Dec 24. Peet's will be serving free brewed coffee and tea. People can donate as they wish. The donation will be matched by Peet's Coffee.

Peet's Coffee
2201 Queen Anne Ave. N
206 826 9001

Zen Asian Bistro in Bellevue

The newly opened Zen Asian Bistro is the greatest new addition to downtown Bellevue.
The place has an alluring atmosphere with a clean but classy, minimalistic decor.
Even before your meal arrives, the experience starts. You are presented with a smoky soup, edamame and a pot of tea. At first I thought it was some kind of lunch special but the same pre-meal pamper is served on the dinner menu as well. I enjoyed the Zen’s chicken in soothing lettuce cup and the vegetable tempura. The vegetable tempura was crunchy and not soggy with a great selection of vegetables. The Chicken Pad Thai($10) was a great blend of flavors and really well done. The sate was nothing special which was totally fine considering everything else was well executed. The staff was genuinely friendly and patient considering that I manically asked them if the food had M.S.G. Nope, none in sight. The prices are reasonable for such trendy and presentable fare($10-15 per entree). I am looking forward to my next Zenful evening because I haven't tried the sushi yet. The place is open until 2 am on some nights of the week.
If you want a great atmosphere with impressive food Zen go there soon.

Zen Asian Bistro
989 112th Avenue NE, Bellevue,
Washington 98004
(425) 453-2999

Truffle Chex Mix

Every time I open my freezer I get a whiff of the Truffle Salt that I bought a while back. I decided to use it make Truffle Chex Mix for a girls night out I hosted this week. The girls
found it addictive and everyone was asking where I got it.

Truffle Chex Mix

6 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Truffle Salt
3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
9 cups of Chex Cereal
1 cup of mixed nuts
1 cup of pretzels
1 cup of vegetable chips(I used Terra Exotic Mediterranean chips)

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Melt butter in microwave.
3. Stir seasonings in with butter.
4. Mix all ingredients together.
5. Bake for an hour, mixing every 15 minutes or so.

Comments:
It tasted nice but I felt like there should be more chips. Next time I will add more.
I am refraining from making this for myself because I will probably end up eating it all in one day. That's what guests are for.

Truffle Salt is from La Buona Tavola, 1524 Pike Place. 206-292-5555
Chips are from Whole Foods.

Greek Gods Baklava Ice Cream

For the blogger event we received samples of foods and one of them was the Greek Gods yogurts and ice Cream. I contacted them after I tried their yogurt and fell in love. The plain yogurt has been my favorite for a really long time. I love the creamy almost sour cream like consistency. It tastes great instead of sour cream as a side to my favorite foods. Hubby and I topped our ravioli filled with kabocha squash with the yogurt.
I also received a sample of the Baklava Ice cream. I don't like Baklava because it is way to sweet but this ice cream is a unique mariage of walnuts, honey, cinnamon and almonds. It truly is wonderful! There is so much flavor in it. Every time I need something sweet, I stick my head in the freezer and grab a spoonful.